In this episode, we sit down with Sharon Harris, founder of Partnered Success and a seasoned educational consultant and certified life and career coach. With over 33 years of experience, Sharon has traveled to numerous states and international cities, choosing to retire in New Hampshire.
Sharon shares her insights on the opportunities available in the Granite State for students, families, and professionals considering relocation for education or career advancement. She discusses her personalized approach to guiding clients toward achieving their goals, emphasizing the unique educational and professional pathways New Hampshire offers.
Tune in to explore the benefits of studying and working in New Hampshire and gain valuable advice on navigating your next steps in this vibrant state.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's move to New Hampshire. She is Sharon Harris with
Partnered Success College and Life Skills coaching. Hello, Sharon and welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Thank you very much, Mark, for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Tell us a little bit about what it is that
that you do in the state of New Hampshire for folks.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So I am a college coach, a life coach, and
a career coach. I'm passionate about helping people find out,
explore themselves and what they enjoy doing, and then helping
them navigate that. I don't take the lead. I look
at it as I'm your champion that kind of works
alongside of you and just gives you the encouragement that
(00:39):
you need to find personal success.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
In the state of New Hampshire, what, what kind of
opportunities exist? Let's start with the younger end of the
spectrum with the the college students.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
One
of the things I look at with students is we
often don't have conversations with them about
Their future. You know, we talk about their future, but
we don't have them take an active role in investigating
and being inquisitive. And it is that inquisitive nature that,
you know, we all have that I just try and
push in students. And the resources that are available, whether
(01:12):
it's as students begin in high school and using the
community college system or navigating the career.
technical centers in the state of New Hampshire to begin
to explore what they're interested in. I think that's very
unique to New Hampshire that we are so pro, uh,
students and education, you know, being one of the top
places in the country for education, I just think that
(01:34):
young adults, if they're interested, if their parents are aware,
we can help them navigate success early.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Let's uh circle back to what you just mentioned that
that you you sort of try to find the way
that the student wants to go. What happens when you're
in that situation where you've got someone who's of college age,
but they just, they haven't found it, they haven't found
that thing that they wanna do. How do you help
that student out?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, I think that, you know, students, as we're younger
and sometimes even older, but as younger students, we're afraid
to ask.
Question, like, why did you choose to go into that field?
Can I find out more about it? And that we
forget that, you know, as you mature in your business
or in your field, have someone come and inquire to say,
(02:22):
Tell me more about how you chose to get into
this field. Share with me your knowledge. I think that
we have so many professionals that have skills that if
we found a way to, to wind ourselves back and
offer that assistance to young adults trying to navigate that path.
Um, that's what I encourage doing. So whether it's a
student who says, I think I'm interested in medicine, but
(02:44):
I know nothing about it. Guess what? Have a conversation
with your dentist. They don't know how students don't know
how to do that. So I help them navigate that.
We do, uh, just informational interviews.
We do, I do the prep to help them navigate
to where they want to be, or helping them find
people that will help them. We forget that our next
door neighbor could be the the veterinarian, our next door
(03:05):
neighbor could be the dentist. Our next door neighbor could
be a dental assistant.
And sitting down and talking to them will give them
the tools that students need to help understand what those
fields are. You know, even getting a student to job shadow,
someone who's delivering oil, gives them an understanding of what
a job is like. So I
I think that those are the things that I try
(03:27):
and help facilitate. We offer some of these resources within
our school districts, but I do it on a one
on one basis, helping students and families to navigate
Speaker 1 (03:36):
that. Are internships still a viable way forward for students?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Absolutely. You've got some of the local chambers that are
very strong in supporting that. The Dover Chamber actually has
facilitated through their career events, a lot of networking with
businesses that are looking for students, as well as there's
a program called Stay Work Play that has also helped
students navigate.
To uh find those internships that they're looking for, but
(04:04):
I think it's those, and we get in the concept of, well,
I don't have the experience, how am I gonna get exposure? Well,
I think it comes down to getting students to have
and families to feel comfortable asking.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
And let's go to the other end of what partnered
success does for folks for a professional that may be
considering a move to New England and specifically New Hampshire.
What does partnered success offer them?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Conversation and resources. There are a lot of things that
are available in this state, whether you're want to network
with one of the things that I found personally successful
when I have people who are trying to navigate and
learn more about the state and job opportunities is there's
um meet up groups.
So like 60 603, those organizations are scattered through the state,
(04:48):
and 603 Sea coast, if you go to a meeting,
I have personally been there and watched probably in excess
of 10 people network over 2 or 3 meetings and discover, hey,
wait a second.
You've got a job opportunity or I know someone who
can help assist you as you try and navigate to
a new position. The 603 is a great one. Some
(05:08):
of the meetup programs are great resources, but even within
our state, we have some great resources, whether you're navigating
the New Hampshire job network. If you go online, you'll
find out more about those resources. So, uh, New Hampshire
Works is another great resource. So I think that
That and as well we have some great opportunities through
(05:29):
our community college system. People are trying to re-identify what
those fields are, so the New Hampshire Community College System
has a lot of programs that people can investigate for
retraining and learning about new fields as well.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
There are some very basic things about New Hampshire that
pretty much everybody knows. You, you have a sea coast,
you have the mountains, so
You, you've got 4 seasons of of recreational things that
are happening, and of course there's a, there's a tax
advantage in the state as well, but for a business
professional moving to the state, what are some other lesser
known things that that New Hampshire could make an attractive
(06:05):
option
Speaker 2 (06:05):
for? Quality of life. I think that coming myself, I've
been here nearly 20 years. I've lived in uh 4
other states in the US. I've lived abroad.
And the quality of life is very unique to New Hampshire,
where there, you know, what I love to be able
to say to people who are thinking about New Hampshire is,
I can be at the ocean in 15 minutes, I
(06:25):
can be on a ski slope in 1 hour. How
many other places in the country can you say that?
You know, how many other places in the world can
you say that? The flexibility, the environment,
The people have been a big draw. Crazily, my husband
refers to it as this coffin state. So, having lived
as many places as we have, it's a great place
to settle. It's a great place for family. It's a
(06:47):
great place just to spend time, connect, and explore. Coffin State?
I know. I know, I know.
Yes. Again, this is someone who at one point in time,
I was going through the number of places we visited,
countries we've visited over 70 countries, and yet, that's our choice.
We are here, have chosen to retire here.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
For somebody that knows little or nothing about New England,
and and I happen to, I happen to have a
friend who's based in New England and right now she's
doing a project out on the west coast.
And she hates the West Coast. She's just, she wants
to get the work done and she wants to come
back to New England because that's home to her. What
(07:29):
what would somebody that has never had any experience in
New England perhaps be surprised to learn about New Hampshire?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Tree mass. One of the things we always refer to
is a state that's 80% tree mass. I mean, I'm
not a tree hugger, but I'm a tree hugger, because
I'm a I'm I'm from New Hampshire.
I love the fact that I can look out and
just explore the beauty of nature.
But I also have the beauty of my neighbors and
my community all around me. So we actually are in
(07:59):
the same similar situation. I have a very good friend
that met over 30 years ago and lives in Seattle, Washington,
contacted us about a month ago and said, look, you
have raved about New Hampshire for as long as you've
been there, and we just set them up to come
up and visit. They're coming up at the first week
of February, but they're also
be meeting with some realtors and exploring because, you know, there,
(08:24):
there's those things that people know about the taxes. They
know that, you know, it's, it's a remote area. It's
not a highly populated state, but there's something else. There's
some other factor that you're not gonna get until you
get here and explore it. And I'm not in the
middle of nowhere, you know, that was one of the
things that they were worried about is that we'd be
in the middle of nowhere. You can be in the
middle of nowhere if you want to. Remember, in a
(08:46):
Now you can be in Boston. I've got community around me,
but at the same time, I have beauty around me,
and that's what I love about being in New England,
being particularly in New Hampshire.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
If somebody were going to come to New Hampshire and
talk to you about making a professional move here, first
of all, how long is is the consultation process? What
what is that like for for you and that
Speaker 2 (09:09):
individual? So my consultation process, I usually uh provide.
I want a half an hour free consultation just to explore,
I want to find out more about the person that
I'd be working with. What are the things that drive you?
What are the things that motivate you? Maybe there's not
going to be a fit with myself and that individual,
but if there is a fit, it's OK, let's explore
what motivates you, what gets you excited about your life,
(09:31):
and let's see if there's a fit. Let's see how
I can help you begin to know what your needs are,
but also how to explore.
To meet your needs to help you succeed. I am
only successful as my clients, so I am driven to
help those clients find their passions and their their what next?
Speaker 1 (09:49):
I know that some parts of the state post COVID
experienced a swell of of population when all of a
sudden working remotely became a normal thing for so many
companies across the country. Is that something that you've had
some experience with as well?
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yes, actually, I have some clients that actually bought up
in the White Mountains, and they are actually from New
York City and were shocked that they could actually come
up to New Hampshire, buy a home. First of all,
they were living in an apartment, so they were able
to come up, buy a home that they'd never imagined
being able to afford. And as he said, I can
be in Boston in an hour and a half, and
(10:26):
he said it would take him an hour and a
half to go 20 miles in New York. So for them,
they're thrilled and it is fine.
Finding your niche, finding your community, and they were able to.
What are the things you're passionate about? They were able
to go up. They've got a great book club that
they belong to, um, up in their community, that community
with that book club is filled with people from all
(10:47):
over the country. Crazily, right now, 50% of the people
who live in New Hampshire were not born here. So
I don't see us as a transient community. I see
us as a community where people have come and found,
guess what? I can make this my home.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
If somebody were gonna come to to New Hampshire to
sort of check things out, are there a few like
go to towns or places or that that you would
advise people to spend a little time looking at?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Yes, part of it is, you know, for me, North
Conway is an absolutely beautiful area of the state, but
I think that, you know, some of us forget that
just going west, going out to Keene, going out into
That region of New Hampshire. Some people consider it isolated,
but it allows you to listen to yourself. So I
love going west, the western part of of New Hampshire.
(11:37):
Any place on the western portion, it's one of those
places I will get in my car and just drive.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Are there any professional job categories that that you specialize
in or you work with more than than other categories?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
No, I actually am, I'm pretty
Open. I'm reminding people that when we stop and we
think about what your skill set is, people look and say,
This is my skill. This is my skill set as
I've been working in education. How will that, those skills
apply to something else? I can never go into anything
other than education. But helping people understand that look at
your skill set, how does that skill set transition and
(12:11):
help you transition into a new field? You've learned customer service.
You've learned.
Instruction. You've learned, let's look at those skills and say,
Guess what? You might have been in education. Education is
needed in so many different fields. Whether you're taking that
and going into a medical field, working with a medical
company that needs, they got new device or new product.
(12:33):
Let's look and see how we can use that skill
that you've developed as a, as a teacher or in
education and apply it to a new field. So
Pretty open. I'm just, I actually see myself more as
helping people understand what their strengths are and then understand
how those strengths can be used in any field.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
And let's segue back to college coaching for just a
moment and kind of do the same question when when
you've got someone thinking of coming to New Hampshire for education,
are there some schools or particular places that are go
to for you?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yes, I stopped and I think so, for instance, students
who come here and are looking for um that educational experience,
where is their fit? What are they looking for? If
they're looking for, you know, one of the things I
have to say to begin with is if the students
come to New Hampshire, this is New Hampshire. It is
more of a rural community. We're not gonna get, you know,
a student who's looking for that active city life or
(13:30):
subur suburb college, that's not New Hampshire.
Our colleges are not in a suburb, they're not in
a city. So students that come here have to understand
that they're gonna get a rural college environment. Now, how
do you take that environment and use your interest or
take your interests and make sure that what you're looking
(13:51):
for in terms of an education you can get at
any institution in New Hampshire. So whether you're looking for,
and again, not every student is a
Looking for an IV or even fit for an IV school.
But if you're looking for that, we've got it here.
It's in the north country. It's in a very rural community.
But again, when I stop and I think, and I
remind students and their families is no matter what college
(14:14):
you choose, the resources that colleges across this country offer
to students are massive. So coming to school here in
New Hampshire, say you're going to be at the University
of New Hamps.
You're at the Durham campus. You've got faculty from across
the globe that are there offering instruction. You've got courses
that give you a global perspective, but also, you know,
(14:37):
the number of students there that are doing recreational therapy.
You're not gonna find that at many schools, but you've
got the opportunity to come to New Hampshire and get
those unique programs. There were tons of people trying to
get out and explore the environment.
Recreational therapy is a phenomenal field. We've got that at Plymouth,
we've got it at Plymouth State. We've got it at
(14:58):
the University of New Hampshire, keen, great educational opportunities there,
particularly for education and nursing. There's a huge nursing shortage
as we all know, across the country. We've got great
nursing resources at every one of our campuses. So I
stop and I remind students and families when they're looking
at schools in New Hamps.
I'm sure we're in the biomedical corridor. Our colleges can
(15:22):
assist students if they're going into the biomedical field or
if those students are interested in the environment. There is
a plethora of opportunity at our schools. It's just a
matter of finding your niche and finding your people.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
How about scholarships and other financial programs specific to New
Hampshire for students? What's around and what's available?
Speaker 2 (15:43):
So the program recently changed its name. It's now called
Granite Advance, and that program is if students or families
were to log on, you can actually log in, put
your information in. That program offers assistance with placement and
preparation for college, but it also offers assistance in navigating
the scholarships available throughout the state, as well as if
(16:07):
you're a student is attending any of the local high schools,
most of the high schools provide a
of scholarships available to their students from their local community
through to the state across the state, as well as
some national. So there are a lot of resources out
there if students are inquisitive, families are inquisitive, and are
(16:27):
seeking those scholarship opportunities. Financial aid, the state of New Hampshire,
based on the students' performance and their interest at most schools,
if you've got the grades, there are scholarships available for students,
whether it's the presidential scholarship at each of our
Institutions, or whether it's the unique, you know, a student
who has a unique niche that they've, uh, been able
(16:49):
to develop. So I have a student who was very
much interested in, uh, writing and journalism, and different programs
within schools also offer a different additional scholarships.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
For a college age student, we've talked a little bit
about the recreation opportunities available in New Hampshire for people
of all ages. How about the availability of of jobs and,
you know, some things that
The college students are gonna need to to just to
get from one day and one week to the next
and have a little money in their
pocket.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
You know, at the University of New Hampshire is right
at my back door, so students, uh, can go to
their career center at any time. There's a huge list
of job opportunities for students. Myself and a number of
other small businesses across the state are able to just
reach out, list the jobs that we're looking for part-time
students for, and they put it up on the career
board at the university, and students can reach out to us.
(17:42):
We can reach out. There are college fairs that go
on on all of the college campuses. If a business
is interested, and again across the country, we've got a shortage.
We're seeing a shortage and everybody is looking for employees,
so students just need to be proactive and seek them out.
They're they're there. Um, the business school, the Paul school
at the University of New Hampshire, great resource. They also
(18:05):
have resources within the career center for placement for businesses
and for students.
There are programs at Dartmouth College where students reach out
and network, and those students are actually coming out and
working with small businesses across the state to help build
the resources. And that's another opportunity, no matter what school
(18:26):
it is across the state where colleges are reaching out
and saying, hey, we've got students that need actual field experience,
and they're just looking to network with those businesses to say,
if you're looking for students, we are your resource.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Sharon, whether it's a college student or a business professional
that is relocating to the state, talk a little bit
about what partnered success and you can offer folks for
relocation advice.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Relocation advice. Crazily, I'm one of those people who've moved
a lot. This is, uh, I think my 6th move
in the last 35 years.
And so helping to navigate and successfully transition to a
new environment, I've done it many a time myself, so
trying to help families, students come, settle in, get to
(19:12):
know the resources, whether you're reaching out and you're networking
through the 603s or you're networking through newcomers, groups that
are also available, or meetups or the chambers, the rotaries.
There are tons of resources across the state and
And whether I help you locate those, whether you're proactive
and take that initiative on your own, relocation resources are
(19:33):
critical for families to succeed in any transition, and that's
what I will help do in any way that I
can for my clients.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Take
out your crystal ball for just a second and and
look into the future for us, Sharon, and, and what
do you see for future trends for anyone that might
be considering a move to New Hampshire?
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Coming to New Hampshire, first of all, the networking, but
when as new people are coming to the state of
New Hampshire, one of the big pieces is, as I said,
the shift of people who were born here. There are
more and more people moving here. Therefore, there are less
people that are uh New Hampshire born and bred.
We've created a strong community. We've got great people here.
(20:15):
There are more and more people moving here because of
that trend where people are able to now work from
home and navigate. The infrastructure is being built to support that.
There are resources and strong desire to support people moving
to this state. I think the quality of life, the environment,
the benefit of taxes, the livability of New Hampshire is
(20:37):
something that the transition people coming here will benefit from,
will help them succeed as they settle in with their.
Families.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Partnered success College and life skills coaching online at partnereducess.com.
That's partnereducess.com. Sharon Harris, thank you for spending time
Speaker 2 (20:53):
with us. Thank you, Mark, very much for having me,
and I appreciate the time that you've you've put into
this and all the work that you do for our community.
Let's move to New Hampshire. She is Sharon Harris with
Partnered Success College and Life Skills coaching. Hello, Sharon and welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Thank you very much, Mark, for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Tell us a little bit about what it is that
that you do in the state of New Hampshire for folks.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So I am a college coach, a life coach, and
a career coach. I'm passionate about helping people find out,
explore themselves and what they enjoy doing, and then helping
them navigate that. I don't take the lead. I look
at it as I'm your champion that kind of works
alongside of you and just gives you the encouragement that
(00:39):
you need to find personal success.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
In the state of New Hampshire, what, what kind of
opportunities exist? Let's start with the younger end of the
spectrum with the the college students.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
One
of the things I look at with students is we
often don't have conversations with them about
Their future. You know, we talk about their future, but
we don't have them take an active role in investigating
and being inquisitive. And it is that inquisitive nature that,
you know, we all have that I just try and
push in students. And the resources that are available, whether
(01:12):
it's as students begin in high school and using the
community college system or navigating the career.
technical centers in the state of New Hampshire to begin
to explore what they're interested in. I think that's very
unique to New Hampshire that we are so pro, uh,
students and education, you know, being one of the top
places in the country for education, I just think that
(01:34):
young adults, if they're interested, if their parents are aware,
we can help them navigate success early.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Let's uh circle back to what you just mentioned that
that you you sort of try to find the way
that the student wants to go. What happens when you're
in that situation where you've got someone who's of college age,
but they just, they haven't found it, they haven't found
that thing that they wanna do. How do you help
that student out?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, I think that, you know, students, as we're younger
and sometimes even older, but as younger students, we're afraid
to ask.
Question, like, why did you choose to go into that field?
Can I find out more about it? And that we
forget that, you know, as you mature in your business
or in your field, have someone come and inquire to say,
(02:22):
Tell me more about how you chose to get into
this field. Share with me your knowledge. I think that
we have so many professionals that have skills that if
we found a way to, to wind ourselves back and
offer that assistance to young adults trying to navigate that path.
Um, that's what I encourage doing. So whether it's a
student who says, I think I'm interested in medicine, but
(02:44):
I know nothing about it. Guess what? Have a conversation
with your dentist. They don't know how students don't know
how to do that. So I help them navigate that.
We do, uh, just informational interviews.
We do, I do the prep to help them navigate
to where they want to be, or helping them find
people that will help them. We forget that our next
door neighbor could be the the veterinarian, our next door
(03:05):
neighbor could be the dentist. Our next door neighbor could
be a dental assistant.
And sitting down and talking to them will give them
the tools that students need to help understand what those
fields are. You know, even getting a student to job shadow,
someone who's delivering oil, gives them an understanding of what
a job is like. So I
I think that those are the things that I try
(03:27):
and help facilitate. We offer some of these resources within
our school districts, but I do it on a one
on one basis, helping students and families to navigate
Speaker 1 (03:36):
that. Are internships still a viable way forward for students?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Absolutely. You've got some of the local chambers that are
very strong in supporting that. The Dover Chamber actually has
facilitated through their career events, a lot of networking with
businesses that are looking for students, as well as there's
a program called Stay Work Play that has also helped
students navigate.
To uh find those internships that they're looking for, but
(04:04):
I think it's those, and we get in the concept of, well,
I don't have the experience, how am I gonna get exposure? Well,
I think it comes down to getting students to have
and families to feel comfortable asking.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
And let's go to the other end of what partnered
success does for folks for a professional that may be
considering a move to New England and specifically New Hampshire.
What does partnered success offer them?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Conversation and resources. There are a lot of things that
are available in this state, whether you're want to network
with one of the things that I found personally successful
when I have people who are trying to navigate and
learn more about the state and job opportunities is there's
um meet up groups.
So like 60 603, those organizations are scattered through the state,
(04:48):
and 603 Sea coast, if you go to a meeting,
I have personally been there and watched probably in excess
of 10 people network over 2 or 3 meetings and discover, hey,
wait a second.
You've got a job opportunity or I know someone who
can help assist you as you try and navigate to
a new position. The 603 is a great one. Some
(05:08):
of the meetup programs are great resources, but even within
our state, we have some great resources, whether you're navigating
the New Hampshire job network. If you go online, you'll
find out more about those resources. So, uh, New Hampshire
Works is another great resource. So I think that
That and as well we have some great opportunities through
(05:29):
our community college system. People are trying to re-identify what
those fields are, so the New Hampshire Community College System
has a lot of programs that people can investigate for
retraining and learning about new fields as well.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
There are some very basic things about New Hampshire that
pretty much everybody knows. You, you have a sea coast,
you have the mountains, so
You, you've got 4 seasons of of recreational things that
are happening, and of course there's a, there's a tax
advantage in the state as well, but for a business
professional moving to the state, what are some other lesser
known things that that New Hampshire could make an attractive
(06:05):
option
Speaker 2 (06:05):
for? Quality of life. I think that coming myself, I've
been here nearly 20 years. I've lived in uh 4
other states in the US. I've lived abroad.
And the quality of life is very unique to New Hampshire,
where there, you know, what I love to be able
to say to people who are thinking about New Hampshire is,
I can be at the ocean in 15 minutes, I
(06:25):
can be on a ski slope in 1 hour. How
many other places in the country can you say that?
You know, how many other places in the world can
you say that? The flexibility, the environment,
The people have been a big draw. Crazily, my husband
refers to it as this coffin state. So, having lived
as many places as we have, it's a great place
to settle. It's a great place for family. It's a
(06:47):
great place just to spend time, connect, and explore. Coffin State?
I know. I know, I know.
Yes. Again, this is someone who at one point in time,
I was going through the number of places we visited,
countries we've visited over 70 countries, and yet, that's our choice.
We are here, have chosen to retire here.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
For somebody that knows little or nothing about New England,
and and I happen to, I happen to have a
friend who's based in New England and right now she's
doing a project out on the west coast.
And she hates the West Coast. She's just, she wants
to get the work done and she wants to come
back to New England because that's home to her. What
(07:29):
what would somebody that has never had any experience in
New England perhaps be surprised to learn about New Hampshire?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Tree mass. One of the things we always refer to
is a state that's 80% tree mass. I mean, I'm
not a tree hugger, but I'm a tree hugger, because
I'm a I'm I'm from New Hampshire.
I love the fact that I can look out and
just explore the beauty of nature.
But I also have the beauty of my neighbors and
my community all around me. So we actually are in
(07:59):
the same similar situation. I have a very good friend
that met over 30 years ago and lives in Seattle, Washington,
contacted us about a month ago and said, look, you
have raved about New Hampshire for as long as you've
been there, and we just set them up to come
up and visit. They're coming up at the first week
of February, but they're also
be meeting with some realtors and exploring because, you know, there,
(08:24):
there's those things that people know about the taxes. They
know that, you know, it's, it's a remote area. It's
not a highly populated state, but there's something else. There's
some other factor that you're not gonna get until you
get here and explore it. And I'm not in the
middle of nowhere, you know, that was one of the
things that they were worried about is that we'd be
in the middle of nowhere. You can be in the
middle of nowhere if you want to. Remember, in a
(08:46):
Now you can be in Boston. I've got community around me,
but at the same time, I have beauty around me,
and that's what I love about being in New England,
being particularly in New Hampshire.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
If somebody were going to come to New Hampshire and
talk to you about making a professional move here, first
of all, how long is is the consultation process? What
what is that like for for you and that
Speaker 2 (09:09):
individual? So my consultation process, I usually uh provide.
I want a half an hour free consultation just to explore,
I want to find out more about the person that
I'd be working with. What are the things that drive you?
What are the things that motivate you? Maybe there's not
going to be a fit with myself and that individual,
but if there is a fit, it's OK, let's explore
what motivates you, what gets you excited about your life,
(09:31):
and let's see if there's a fit. Let's see how
I can help you begin to know what your needs are,
but also how to explore.
To meet your needs to help you succeed. I am
only successful as my clients, so I am driven to
help those clients find their passions and their their what next?
Speaker 1 (09:49):
I know that some parts of the state post COVID
experienced a swell of of population when all of a
sudden working remotely became a normal thing for so many
companies across the country. Is that something that you've had
some experience with as well?
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yes, actually, I have some clients that actually bought up
in the White Mountains, and they are actually from New
York City and were shocked that they could actually come
up to New Hampshire, buy a home. First of all,
they were living in an apartment, so they were able
to come up, buy a home that they'd never imagined
being able to afford. And as he said, I can
be in Boston in an hour and a half, and
(10:26):
he said it would take him an hour and a
half to go 20 miles in New York. So for them,
they're thrilled and it is fine.
Finding your niche, finding your community, and they were able to.
What are the things you're passionate about? They were able
to go up. They've got a great book club that
they belong to, um, up in their community, that community
with that book club is filled with people from all
(10:47):
over the country. Crazily, right now, 50% of the people
who live in New Hampshire were not born here. So
I don't see us as a transient community. I see
us as a community where people have come and found,
guess what? I can make this my home.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
If somebody were gonna come to to New Hampshire to
sort of check things out, are there a few like
go to towns or places or that that you would
advise people to spend a little time looking at?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Yes, part of it is, you know, for me, North
Conway is an absolutely beautiful area of the state, but
I think that, you know, some of us forget that
just going west, going out to Keene, going out into
That region of New Hampshire. Some people consider it isolated,
but it allows you to listen to yourself. So I
love going west, the western part of of New Hampshire.
(11:37):
Any place on the western portion, it's one of those
places I will get in my car and just drive.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Are there any professional job categories that that you specialize
in or you work with more than than other categories?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
No, I actually am, I'm pretty
Open. I'm reminding people that when we stop and we
think about what your skill set is, people look and say,
This is my skill. This is my skill set as
I've been working in education. How will that, those skills
apply to something else? I can never go into anything
other than education. But helping people understand that look at
your skill set, how does that skill set transition and
(12:11):
help you transition into a new field? You've learned customer service.
You've learned.
Instruction. You've learned, let's look at those skills and say,
Guess what? You might have been in education. Education is
needed in so many different fields. Whether you're taking that
and going into a medical field, working with a medical
company that needs, they got new device or new product.
(12:33):
Let's look and see how we can use that skill
that you've developed as a, as a teacher or in
education and apply it to a new field. So
Pretty open. I'm just, I actually see myself more as
helping people understand what their strengths are and then understand
how those strengths can be used in any field.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
And let's segue back to college coaching for just a
moment and kind of do the same question when when
you've got someone thinking of coming to New Hampshire for education,
are there some schools or particular places that are go
to for you?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yes, I stopped and I think so, for instance, students
who come here and are looking for um that educational experience,
where is their fit? What are they looking for? If
they're looking for, you know, one of the things I
have to say to begin with is if the students
come to New Hampshire, this is New Hampshire. It is
more of a rural community. We're not gonna get, you know,
a student who's looking for that active city life or
(13:30):
subur suburb college, that's not New Hampshire.
Our colleges are not in a suburb, they're not in
a city. So students that come here have to understand
that they're gonna get a rural college environment. Now, how
do you take that environment and use your interest or
take your interests and make sure that what you're looking
(13:51):
for in terms of an education you can get at
any institution in New Hampshire. So whether you're looking for,
and again, not every student is a
Looking for an IV or even fit for an IV school.
But if you're looking for that, we've got it here.
It's in the north country. It's in a very rural community.
But again, when I stop and I think, and I
remind students and their families is no matter what college
(14:14):
you choose, the resources that colleges across this country offer
to students are massive. So coming to school here in
New Hampshire, say you're going to be at the University
of New Hamps.
You're at the Durham campus. You've got faculty from across
the globe that are there offering instruction. You've got courses
that give you a global perspective, but also, you know,
(14:37):
the number of students there that are doing recreational therapy.
You're not gonna find that at many schools, but you've
got the opportunity to come to New Hampshire and get
those unique programs. There were tons of people trying to
get out and explore the environment.
Recreational therapy is a phenomenal field. We've got that at Plymouth,
we've got it at Plymouth State. We've got it at
(14:58):
the University of New Hampshire, keen, great educational opportunities there,
particularly for education and nursing. There's a huge nursing shortage
as we all know, across the country. We've got great
nursing resources at every one of our campuses. So I
stop and I remind students and families when they're looking
at schools in New Hamps.
I'm sure we're in the biomedical corridor. Our colleges can
(15:22):
assist students if they're going into the biomedical field or
if those students are interested in the environment. There is
a plethora of opportunity at our schools. It's just a
matter of finding your niche and finding your people.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
How about scholarships and other financial programs specific to New
Hampshire for students? What's around and what's available?
Speaker 2 (15:43):
So the program recently changed its name. It's now called
Granite Advance, and that program is if students or families
were to log on, you can actually log in, put
your information in. That program offers assistance with placement and
preparation for college, but it also offers assistance in navigating
the scholarships available throughout the state, as well as if
(16:07):
you're a student is attending any of the local high schools,
most of the high schools provide a
of scholarships available to their students from their local community
through to the state across the state, as well as
some national. So there are a lot of resources out
there if students are inquisitive, families are inquisitive, and are
(16:27):
seeking those scholarship opportunities. Financial aid, the state of New Hampshire,
based on the students' performance and their interest at most schools,
if you've got the grades, there are scholarships available for students,
whether it's the presidential scholarship at each of our
Institutions, or whether it's the unique, you know, a student
who has a unique niche that they've, uh, been able
(16:49):
to develop. So I have a student who was very
much interested in, uh, writing and journalism, and different programs
within schools also offer a different additional scholarships.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
For a college age student, we've talked a little bit
about the recreation opportunities available in New Hampshire for people
of all ages. How about the availability of of jobs and,
you know, some things that
The college students are gonna need to to just to
get from one day and one week to the next
and have a little money in their
pocket.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
You know, at the University of New Hampshire is right
at my back door, so students, uh, can go to
their career center at any time. There's a huge list
of job opportunities for students. Myself and a number of
other small businesses across the state are able to just
reach out, list the jobs that we're looking for part-time
students for, and they put it up on the career
board at the university, and students can reach out to us.
(17:42):
We can reach out. There are college fairs that go
on on all of the college campuses. If a business
is interested, and again across the country, we've got a shortage.
We're seeing a shortage and everybody is looking for employees,
so students just need to be proactive and seek them out.
They're they're there. Um, the business school, the Paul school
at the University of New Hampshire, great resource. They also
(18:05):
have resources within the career center for placement for businesses
and for students.
There are programs at Dartmouth College where students reach out
and network, and those students are actually coming out and
working with small businesses across the state to help build
the resources. And that's another opportunity, no matter what school
(18:26):
it is across the state where colleges are reaching out
and saying, hey, we've got students that need actual field experience,
and they're just looking to network with those businesses to say,
if you're looking for students, we are your resource.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Sharon, whether it's a college student or a business professional
that is relocating to the state, talk a little bit
about what partnered success and you can offer folks for
relocation advice.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
Relocation advice. Crazily, I'm one of those people who've moved
a lot. This is, uh, I think my 6th move
in the last 35 years.
And so helping to navigate and successfully transition to a
new environment, I've done it many a time myself, so
trying to help families, students come, settle in, get to
(19:12):
know the resources, whether you're reaching out and you're networking
through the 603s or you're networking through newcomers, groups that
are also available, or meetups or the chambers, the rotaries.
There are tons of resources across the state and
And whether I help you locate those, whether you're proactive
and take that initiative on your own, relocation resources are
(19:33):
critical for families to succeed in any transition, and that's
what I will help do in any way that I
can for my clients.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Take
out your crystal ball for just a second and and
look into the future for us, Sharon, and, and what
do you see for future trends for anyone that might
be considering a move to New Hampshire?
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Coming to New Hampshire, first of all, the networking, but
when as new people are coming to the state of
New Hampshire, one of the big pieces is, as I said,
the shift of people who were born here. There are
more and more people moving here. Therefore, there are less
people that are uh New Hampshire born and bred.
We've created a strong community. We've got great people here.
(20:15):
There are more and more people moving here because of
that trend where people are able to now work from
home and navigate. The infrastructure is being built to support that.
There are resources and strong desire to support people moving
to this state. I think the quality of life, the environment,
the benefit of taxes, the livability of New Hampshire is
(20:37):
something that the transition people coming here will benefit from,
will help them succeed as they settle in with their.
Families.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Partnered success College and life skills coaching online at partnereducess.com.
That's partnereducess.com. Sharon Harris, thank you for spending time
Speaker 2 (20:53):
with us. Thank you, Mark, very much for having me,
and I appreciate the time that you've you've put into
this and all the work that you do for our community.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.